Next administration should jumpstart massive job creation in first 100 days

With an estimated 1.2 million young Filipinos graduating this year and joining the labor force, vice presidential candidate Senator Ferdinand “Bongbong” R. Marcos, Jr. said the next administration must jumpstart a massive job creation program within its first 100 days in office.

Marcos noted that according to the forecast of Trading Economics analysts, Philippine unemployment rate is expected to remain at around 6 percent until 2020 unless there is a drastic change in the country’s economic and labor strategies.

“The government must be able to generate enough jobs for our graduates and those still looking for work. It should be massive job creation and the only way to do that is to make our economy grow through infrastructure projects,” said Marcos.

Marcos has been pushing for massive government investment in “business-driven” infrastructures or those that would provide a suitable environment to encourage expansion of private business enterprises.

“By infrastructure, I mean not only roads and bridges but also schools, power generation plants, water system and including our Internet service, which is the second slowest in the world,” Marcos said. He noted that now more business is done through the Internet than actual face-to-face transactions.

While the government must provide the necessary atmosphere for private businesses to flourish, Marcos said it must also ensure adequate protection for our workers. In particular, Marcos said laws against contractualization must be enforced strictly.

“These are the things that the next administration must immediately address in the first 100 days in office. I am confident this can be done. And if I am elected Vice President I will propose these kinds of programs and explain how this can be done,” Marcos said.